Becoming A Ghost: On Plato’s Cave, Spiritual Death, and the Loneliness of Returning

In this Halloween episode, I begin a new series on Plato’s Cave and why I've come to believe that the cave is not simply an allegory, but the manifest reality of human experience. I revisit the anomalous experience that obliterated everything I thought I knew about reality, and explore its parallels with near-death experiences and the kind of spiritual death that comes with seeing beyond the shadows. But leaving the cave is only half the story. What happens when you return? I've come to think that returning from the cave is a lot like becoming a ghost. And just like a ghost, you're very likely to scare your family and friends. Topics explored: Plato’s Cave | anomalous experiences | spiritual death | near-death experiences | mystical experiences | astrology | Socrates | ghost folklore | Victorian spiritualism | the loneliness of transformation | truth and belief Inquiry with Kelly Chase is brought to you by SpectreVision Radio. Produced in partnership with Voltage.fm. Plato’s Republic, Book VII — The Allegory of the Cave Through the Looking Glass: My Initiation Into the Anomalous — The UFO Rabbit Hole The Astrology of NDEs — Laura Bruno (Preorder Information) Dial Tone with Daniel Noah — SpectreVision Radio Patreon: https://inquirywithkellychase.com Substack: https://inquirywithkellychase.substack.com Website: https://kellychase.media X: https://x.com/kellychasemedia Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellychasemedia 03:09 Introduction04:37 From Darkness to Light10:20 Dying To The World15:13 Becoming A Ghost Referenced in This EpisodeSupport the ShowConnect with KellyTimestamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices